Less than 24 hours ago, Rich Franklin was separated from consciousness by Cung Le in Macau.
In the post-fight interview, the obviously concussed Franklin was unable to commit to retirement when questioned by Jon Anik. Instead, Franklin said that he has to speak with his coaches and decide where he goes from here.
Fans best know Franklin for being a company man from the beginning. He was the face of the UFC’s middleweight division before being dethroned by middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva. Since then, he’s stepped up whenever needed and always put on a spectacular performance.
I was taught as a child that you never end anything on a bad note. I was never allowed to walk away from the basketball gym on a missed shot. I always had to walk away on a basket.
That’s what Franklin should do.
There are many fights available to Franklin in the UFC’s middleweight and light heavyweight division. I recognize that he would retire with a win should he face someone like Dongi Yang.
However, the five fighters on this list all possess one thing in common: They’re all “name” fighters. This guarantees that Rich walks away in a fight that maximizes fan interest.